


Oddity

by daisyisawriter91



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Crossroads Deals & Demons, Found Family, I could be open to more parts, Kinda, M/M, Returning Home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 21:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15300036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisyisawriter91/pseuds/daisyisawriter91
Summary: Even amongst crossroads demons, Garth is odd.





	1. Chapter 1

Garth was…an oddity. Even for a crossroads demon, all of whom come in various shapes and sizes, mannerisms and personalities, Garth was still the weirdest of the bunch.   
To start with, he was not seductive at all. He was sweet and kind, something you nearly never see on any demon, let alone one of the crossroads demons. He had a goofy grin and tended to trip over his own feet.   
And he was sentimental, above all else. He had never once traded his meat suit, even after it was killed multiple times. He would never even _consider_ changing bodies, and he didn’t like to think of bodies at meat suits. He thought the term was vulgar.  
Another puzzling thing about Garth was how he came to Hell. It was common knowledge that he’d sold his soul when he was a human. But _why_ he’d sold his soul was something only Crowley knew. And, for some reason, the King refused to tell.  
One thing that Garth had been successfully hiding for months was the fact that he only took souls about half the time, depending on the reason given. If it was to save a sick relative, to get the person out of the deepest poverty, etc., etc., then Garth always did a small switch (or, always would do. He hadn’t been a demon long enough for anyone’s ten years to be up). The good person would be spared from Hell in exchange for an awful person who hadn’t sold their soul. It was a good system, Garth suspected. Besides, if the person who originally sold their soul did wicked things with their prize, then Garth took them anyways. Or, would.  
It was a moral gray area, but Garth was determined to keep it gray. That’s what made him the oddity. His adamant refusal to to lose his morals.   
But no one ever complained about him. They wouldn’t dare. He had a strange, almost paternal relationship with the King of Hell, and no one would even risk bad-mouthing the king’s favorite.   
Garth didn’t often return to Hell. He was overly fond of his body, he didn't want to abandon it all that often. Most demons suspected that it was actually _his_ body, that he returned as a demon quick enough to stop the decaying process and fix the damages.   
The demons who thought this were right. This was part of how Garth kept himself in the gray area, by maintaining his original body. Besides, he’d always liked his body as a human. That hadn’t changed upon his transformation to demon.  
Garth was currently enjoying tea. In a knitting group. Full of old ladies. And he wasn’t the least bit ashamed. In fact, he was rather enjoying himself. The old birds made good company.  
It was an undeniable fact: demons loved mortal things. Some demons liked liquor the best, for some it was sex, for some it as gambling. For Garth, it was moments like this. Listening to old ladies gossip and talk about their grandchildren while drinking delightful tea. The oddities kept stacking up.  
A cat jumped into his lap and Garth set down his knitting needles, petting the ginger cat.   
“Hey, buddy.” Garth said, sweetly, addressing the cat as Dolores talked about her grandson. Garth had only been half listening until Dolores said something that caught his attention.  
“It just breaks my heart. The poor dear has been driving himself crazy, dabbling in the devil’s work.” Dolores rambled.  
Garth froze. Devil’s work? Was Dolores’s son going to summon a demon?   
Almost as though on cue, Garth felt the familiar tug in his stomach that meant he was being summoned. He gently set down the cat.  
“Excuse me, ladies. I have to go.” Garth walked out of sight before teleporting to the source of his summons.

 

Garth appeared in an achingly familiar place, and wanted to start crying then and there. The basement of Bobby Singer’s house.   
When he was still alive, Garth had been a hunter, very close with the man in question. Bobby Singer was his adopted father, after all. Took him in when he was fourteen and raised him right.  
He surveyed the basement, and the shocked faces of the gathered crowd. His surrogate brothers, Sam and Dean, looked at him with pure shock. Bobby looked a mixture of surprise and sadness. And then there was the one person that made Garth’s heart clench. _Benny._   
Benny’s hand was bleeding, presumably from summoning him. So, not for a crossroads deal. He looked on the verge of tears, opening and closing his mouth in shock. Garth’s family had known about his deal, of course they had. It _was_ Benny that he'd made the deal for. But they didn’t know the clause he’d added in. He intentionally wanted to be a demon, so that he could do some good. Garth smiled, sadly.   
“I guess a ‘hello’ isn’t enough, right?” He asked.  
Garth looked down to check for a Devil’s trap. It was an unnecessary glance. Not only did he know Bobby Singer, he could feel the restrictions on his body. He could practically see the barrier keeping him inside.  
No one spoke for a long time. It was obvious that no one wanted to believe what they were seeing. Garth wanted to start crying. Just break down sobbing, nothing more than a demon in a Devil’s trap, facing four hunters that had once been his family. That, in his mind, were still his family. Even if they now were disgusted to even look at him.   
Yet Garth held his ground. He refused to cry, only because once he started, he wouldn’t stop. And he didn't want blood to run down his face, showing what he truly was.  
“You…you’re a demon.” Sam said. He wasn’t disgusted (yet), just confused.  
“Yeah. I am.” Garth answered, willing his voice to sound strong. It very nearly broke.  
“This is a sick fucking joke. Garth was our brother, and now you’re wearing his skin.” Dean looked so angry that he could barely control it. Garth’s heart cracked.  
“Dean…I didn’t tell you the truth when I was still human. Not the whole truth, anyways.” Garth began. Sam covered Dean’s mouth before his brother could protest. Dean was the only person in the room who couldn’t tell that it was actually Garth. “As you know, I sold my soul.” Benny flinched. He did that every time Garth mentioned his deal. Garth had only made the deal to save Benny’s life.   
A random disease that hadn't been seen since the forties popped up in the former vampire, modern medicine didn't know what to do.   
“Well, when I sold it, I added something in. The minute I arrived in Hell, I wanted to be a demon.”  
“That’s insane! Garth would never-” A glare from Bobby made Dean shut up. It was a glare Garth had only seen once or twice in his life, one that was not meant to be defied.  
“Now, I didn’t actually want to be a demon. But it was the best option. Believe it or not, I’ve done a lotta good.” Garth attempted to justify.  
“Give an example.” Bobby demanded. It wasn’t entirely cold, like he was beginning to believe that Garth was telling the truth. Benny was silent.  
“‘Bout a week ago, a guy sold his soul so that his daughter, this little six-year-old, could walk again. I noticed when I was healing her legs that she was developing stomach cancer and took that away, too. But this man who only wanted the best for his daughter, he’s not going to Hell. I put the mark of a sold soul on a serial rapist who's never been caught instead.” At once, everyone seemed to relax, even if it was just a little bit. It was enough for Garth. “Look, I know I’ve got a lot to answer for-”  
“It’s been six months.” Benny spoke, finally. He was angry. Understandably so. But still, it struck Garth harder than any blow. “You’ve been dead for six months. Which means, you’ve been a demon for six months. Why didn’t you come back?” Garth looked down at his feet, and the red paint below.  
“Because I couldn’t even look at myself. How could I look at you? How could I face you after what I’d done? After what I’d become? It was better to let you think I was dead, even if it hurt me.” Garth confessed. Dean spoke up next, furious.  
“So all that fear you had, the night the hellhounds dragged you away, that was just fake?! It was just one big lie, because you knew you’d live again?!”  
“It wasn’t a lie, Dean! None of it was!” Garth shouted back. “I was about to become one of the things I hated most in the world, of course I was terrified! I knew what would happen afterwards! If anything, that scared me more than just being another soul in Hell! And, do you call being a demon _living_? It’s the furthest thing from living there is! I’ve hated every single minute of being a demon, and do you know how many times I’ve wanted to come back to you? I’ve barely held off! I’ve missed you all so much and every day I’m away from you…” Garth trailed off. “I know I deserve this suffering, I deserve every minute, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He said, quieter, tears streaming from his eyes and voice shaking. Garth quickly wiped his eyes, red staining his shirt, and steeled himself. “Look.” He said, firmly. “You can leave me down here as long as you want. I won’t move, even if the trap breaks. I won’t make any attempts to leave. I won’t do anything until you say I can.” Garth controlled his eyes so that they wouldn’t flick red.   
Dean turned around and left, Sam soon following. Bobby stared at him for a moment. “You sure about this, boy?” That sealed it. Bobby only called him ‘boy’ when he was temporarily angry, but only because he was worried.  
“Positive. I will not move.” Garth sat down on the spot. “Not until you say I can.” Bobby nodded and walked up the stairs. Benny, however, didn’t move.  
“Garth…I mourned you.” Benny said. The thought shattered the remaining pieces of Garth's heart into dust. Garth sighed.  
“I know. I mourned me, too.”   
“And what you did was stupid. But, I never stopped loving you.”   
Garth didn’t allow himself to hope. He did, however, tell Benny the truth. It was the only thing he could do, now.  
“I’ve got an eternity, now, Benny. And I’ll love you for the rest of it.”   
Benny turned around and left, deep in thought. Garth watched him leave.


	2. Chapter 2

Garth had fallen asleep against the invisible barrier of the Devil’s trap. He never fell out of the habit, even though he no longer needed the sleep. It was a comfort, if nothing else. And he needed a comfort in that moment.  
It had been an almost full 24 hours since he’d vowed to stay put. Dean hadn’t come to see him again, but Sam had played a round of poker with him after seeing that Garth was serious. Bobby had immediately set him to work on research. Garth was comforted by this. Just because he was a demon didn’t mean he would stop hunting. He just stopped hunting demons. A small concession.   
And Benny…Benny had visited him twice. Once two shout at him, to show how angry he was. Once to kiss him senseless. Garth could deal with either. It meant he wasn’t being completely ignored by his husband, the man he loved the most. He would take anything he could get.  
Garth was awoken by someone’s voice. “  
What is wrong with you?” Crowley. Garth glared out at him.   
“I’m trying to make amends to my family. I agreed not to move from this spot until they said I could. Don’t break it, either. I still won’t move, but this barrier makes a nice pillow.” He explained. Garth stared Crowley down, almost daring him to make a move.   
“I see.” Crowley nodded. He narrowed his eyes, brain puzzling over the circumstances. “What sort of manipulation is this?”  
“It isn’t. No tricks, no games, nothing.” Garth held up his hands as if to show his sincerity.  
“Right…” Crowley acted like he didn’t believe him.   
“You wanna play cards while you’re down here? I got nothing but time. As long as you don’t try to scrape the paint away.” Garth offered, pleasantly. Crowley looked at him for a hard moment.  
“I’ve been calling you for hours.”  
“And what’s so urgent that you had to find me?”  
“I know what you’ve been doing. With the souls.” Crowley divulged. Garth didn’t allow Crowley to see him worried. “A very clever move, I’m impressed. I don’t say that lightly. But did you really think I wouldn’t catch on?”  
“No, I knew you would. I just didn’t really want to think about it.” Garth said, truthfully. “I’m not an idiot, Crowley.”  
“You bloody well have to be FOR GOING OVER MY HEAD LIKE THAT!” Garth didn’t flinch. He’d heard this before, Crowley starting to scream in the middle of a sentence. “You complete, bloody, imbecile! I’m the king around here!”  
“Like you don’t remind everyone daily.” Garth retorted. Crowley floundered, not used to back-talk. “Look, Crowley, you might be the King of Hell, but you were never my king.” Garth leaned against the Devil’s trap. His eyes flicked to their blood red state. “You should leave now. Unless you want to play a round of truth or dare? I'm down.”  
“I’ll pass.” Crowley disappeared within a second. Garth nodded.  
“That’s what I thought.” Garth picked up a book from his stack and began reading. He was interrupted by Dean coming out of the shadows. “Heya, Dean!” Garth greeted, cheerily, unable to help his smile. He loved his brother too much to deny it.  
“You were telling the truth.” Dean said, as if he couldn’t believe this development.  
“Of course I was. I don’t want any more lies, or any more half-truths. This is the full truth. I don’t want to be a demon, Dean. But I figured that would be the best option. There’s no world where I wouldn’t have sold my soul for Benny. I’d do it again.” Garth confessed. Dean narrowed his eyes.  
“Demons don’t have souls.” Dean deducted, cleverly. He'd always been smart, if only he shared it more. Garth grinned, mischievously.  
“I do. I stole mine back. I got good at working the system downstairs. It’s battered and definitely broken, but it’s still my soul.” Garth looked at Dean. “I’ll never stop regretting what I did. But I wouldn’t change it. I’d do it all over again. For Benny, for Sam, for Dad, for you.” Dean stepped forward into the Devil’s trap, much to Garth’s surprise, and hugged him. Garth hugged back, relieved. “I missed you, Dean.”  
“Hey, c’mon, man. No chick flick moments.”  
"Right, of course, right."  
Still, Garth could've sworn he felt tears hit his jacket.

 

Garth was asleep on the barrier again, when suddenly, he fell onto the concrete. It awoke him, sharply, making his head hurt, and he sat back up. He didn’t quite realize what was happening when he was in a familiar embrace. Benny’s. Garth would recognize the scent anywhere, and the feeling of strong arms around him. Garth nestled into Benny’s shoulder and breathed in, deeply. It felt like balm on a severe burn.   
“Benny.” Garth whispered in disbelief.  
“Dean told me what you said.” Benny murmured. Garth nodded, only barely hearing him. “Garth, I missed you.”  
“You’ll never know how much I missed you.” He replied. Garth was pulled off the ground to a standing position by Benny, head still buried in his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” Garth mumbled.  
“I understand.”  
And Garth felt like Benny really did understand. He reached forward and kissed his husband, finally feeling like he had the right to do so.  
Garth was an oddity. He was more human than demon. But if being with his husband and his family meant being an oddity in Hell, he’d take it. Whatever the aftermath of talking back to Crowley was, he’d face it head on. He would have to.  
He would have to put in his formal resignation letter in Hell.


End file.
